Why You Need to Visit These 5 LA Burgers Joints

Burgers aren’t just food in Los Angeles, they’re a scene. And what’s not to love? Smoky meat patties married to piquant chilli-fired sauces, melting cheese and rippingly fresh salad. One-handed food never tasted so good.

Petit Trois

French expat chef Ludo Lefebvre is a big deal in LA. But at Petit Trois it’s the Big Mec attracting all the attention for its high-low union of two beef patties, garlic aïoli, pickle and artisan cheese on brioche. The pièce de résistance? A foie-gras-infused Bordelaise sauce that spills over the plate. It’s worth the mess.

718 North Highland Avenue, Hollywood

Kogi BBQ

He started with a single truck peddling Korean-Mexican fare in Downtown LA. These days, Roy Choi commands an entire fleet. It’s street food, LA style, and while the tacos are great, the Pacman Burger – with a patty boasting a mix of beef, chicken and pork, along with chicharrones (fried skin), sesame mayo and cheese – stakes its own claim to greatness.

The Larchmont

It’s a fancy spot for a burger and the offering at The Larchmont is dressed to impress. Start with a grass-fed beef patty made with dry-aged striploin, flank steak and short ribs. Add slow-cooked tomato, champagne-buttered sautéed onion, gruyère and frisée. Then sandwich it all in brioche. You can add pork belly pastrami for a few extra dollars.

5750 Melrose Avenue, Larchmont

The Apple Pan

Less a restaurant, more a slice of American history, The Apple Pan has been serving folks at its U-shaped counter since 1947. The classic diner’s signature Hickory burger is a straight-up quarter-pound burger with iceberg lettuce and the not-so-secret ingredient of sweet, smoky hickory sauce. Perhaps not the fanciest bun you’ll find but, as the store’s logo says, “Quality forever”.

10801 West Pico Boulevard, Rancho Park; +1 310 475 3585

Grill ’Em All

Heavy metal and griddled meat collide in a tasty cacophony at Grill ’Em All. The Dee Snider (a tribute to the leader of Twisted Sister) has an improbable combination of peanut butter, strawberry jam, bacon and sriracha, while the Metallica is a more straightforward mix of Swiss cheese, avocado, bacon, salad and ranch dressing. Whichever way you rock ’n’ roll, just add hand-cut fries.